Dear Church Family,

Pastoral Staff Andy Huette, Sr. PastorGrant Stauter, Associate Pastor

406 W 7th Street, PO Box 280, Gridley, IL 61744 Ph 747-2299 www.christ-cc.org

Youth GroupsWednesdaysJr. High 6:00 pm Jordan McKinsey, leaderSr. High 7:30 pm Danny Kaupp, leader

Sunday Worship ServicesMorning Worship 9 am-10 am

J.A.M. (ages 3 - PreK) every SundayK-3 Children’s Church 1st & 3rd Sundays4-5th grades 1st & 3rd Sundays

Sunday School 10:30-11:15 am

EasterApril 2016

Inside this newsletterPastor Andy’s LetterMeet Our Deacons

Milestones/AttendanceSurplus Giving UpdateWomen’s Ministry News

Easter PhotosFor the past two months, we’ve been going through the book

of Philippians together on Sunday mornings in the sermon series entitled “Emptied: Seeing Jesus in Philippians.” One of the ben-efits of spending extended time in a book of the Bible is that the themes and emphases of the book begin to sink in and stick with us. Going slowly through a book of the Bible can also reveal new insights which are easily missed in a quick reading.

One of the new insights I’ve gained through the Philippians series is Paul’s emphasis on the believer’s mind. I had never real-ized how many references there are to the mind or the think-ing of Christians in the four short chapters of the letter. Walter Hansen, author of the Pillar New Testament Commentary, (my favorite commentary on Philippians) states that the Greek verb for think, is “one of Paul’s favorite words in this letter”1 and notes that the word appears ten times in just four chapters. This em-phasis on right-thinking culminates with the well-known pas-sage near the end of the letter, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” (Phil. 4:8). Though the Christian life is more than thinking rightly—it’s about living rightly—what we ponder in our minds affects the way we live.

Studying the Bible, memorizing Scripture, listening to ser-mons, discussing faith with fellow believers, and reading books about spiritual growth are all meaningful ways that we can set our minds on things that are true and worthy of praise. However, another way that we can cultivate right thinking and the “mind of Christ” (Phil. 2:5) is through listening to music. I was not raised in a musical home and was fairly indifferent to music until my mid-twenties, but over time I’ve come to see how the medium of music is a gift from God to worship Him and to infuse our souls with His truth. Music preaches. Music has the ability to pound truth (or falsehood) into our hearts. A couple of years ago when Grant preached a sermon about worship, one of his points of application was that believers should consider investing time and money in worship music that feeds the soul and facilitates worship. In view of Philippians, which calls us to set our minds on that which is true and excellent, I wholeheartedly agree with Grant’s application and want to encourage you to spend time finding music that cultivates godly thinking.

There are thousands of gifted musicians who don’t make it on

the radio, but who produce great mu-sic that is easily accessible (YouTube, iTunes, Spotify, Amazon Prime Mu-sic, etc.). Though you may have different musical tastes than I do, I thought I’d offer a few suggestions of some of my favorite musicians and songs which have helped me to worship and to plant God’s truth in my mind.

Shane and Shane: “Man of Sorrows,” “Your Great Name,” “Scandal of Grace,” “Psalm 34,” “Psalm 145,” “Psalm 46.” “The One You’ll Find”

Ghost Ship: “Just as I Am,” “Adoption,” “Poison Tree,” “Where Were You”

Norton Hall Band: “There is a Fountain,” “Holy, Holy, Holy,” “Be Thou My Vision”

Will Reagan: “Set a Fire,” “If I Give It All,” “We Have Come (Bless the Lord)”

NeedtoBreathe: “Multiplied,” “Streets of Gold”

Matt Papa: “Come Behold the Wondrous Mystery,” “Show Me Your Glory”

All Sons and Daughters: “All the Poor and Powerless,” “Great Are You Lord”

Kings Kaleidoscope: “Come Thou Fount,” “Jesus Paid It All”

Ascend the Hill: “Hallelujah! What a Savior!”

Bellarive: “Taste of Eternity”

I also highly recommend Seeds Family Worship (which our Children’s Sunday School at Christ Community uses for Scrip-ture memory). If you have young children, these songs are one of the best ways to enjoyably worship and memorize Scripture while in the car.

No matter what your musical preferences are, I encourage you to take the time and money necessary to invest in feeding your soul with truth that is honorable, just, pure, lovely, commend-able, excellent, and worthy of praise. Grace and Peace,Andy

Joy

He is risen!

1 G. Walter Hansen, The Letter to the Philippians, PNTC (Grand Rapids, Eerdmans, 2009), 111.

2 3

Attendance & Offering3/6 294 $ 10,0363/13 248 $ 8,0593/20 280 $ 8,0073/27 Easter $11,639 #1 290 #2 288

April Birthdays1 Anne Wettstein4 Bonnie Sherrill5 Dax Gentes6 Abigail Kelly7 Brier Meiss9 Jim Mallory9 Juno Zeller11 Alyie Roth14 Jil Stauter18 Colton Kelly19 Tonya Krone20 Alissa McKinsey20 Eliza Meiss22 Abby Huette26 Marilee Wenger27 Dusti Palmer30 Sydney HallAnniversaries12 Dennis & Bonnie Sherrill20 Steve & Mary Carls28 Jordan & Marqui Krone

Open Bibles One Another Beautiful Feet Spiritual Growth Authentic Worship

Meet Our Deacons

All ladies are invited to the Ladies’ Lun-cheon on Saturday, April 30 at 11:00 a.m.

Our theme is “Reflections” which will en-courage us to look back and see how God has been working throughout our lives. Susan Russell will share with us and reflect on her own life experiences.

It’s a day to reflect on and savor our re-deemed pasts. Wear your vintage hats. Bring your daughters, mothers and girlfriends. En-joy some “girl time” and a delicious lunch.

Please RSVP and pay $5 per person to Lin-da Hartzler, Pat McKey or Susan Laiming.

Women’s Fellowship &Ministry Updates

The Children’s Ministry Team exists to serve the church by giving oversight and coordination to all ministry programs for children from preschool to 5th grade. Becky Roth is Deacon of Children’s Ministry. She works with the Sunday School teachers, JAM and Children Church leaders.

The Finance Team exists to serve the church by developing and implementing plans for informed and faithful steward-ship of church finances and property. Derek Meiss is Dea-con of Finance. The Finance team members are: Chris Gen-tes, Phil Hartzler, Doug Nelson, Bob Wettstein.

The Hospitality Team exists to ensure that the environment of Sunday morning gatherings is hospitable towards guests, and promotes fellowship with one another. The team also as-sists in the coordination of various elements of the worship service. Bev Nelson is Deacon of Hospitality. Others on the Hospitality team are: Ron & Marcia Mool (Coffee Fellow-ship), Kelly Mool (Nursery), Kaylene Butikofer (Commu-nion), Peggy Poppen, Erin Kaupp, Heather Gentes.

The Local Outreach Team exists to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ by sharing the grace and truth of Christ in word and deed to local communities. The team seeks to administer grace through physical provision to those in need and invites those not involved in a church to Christ Community Church. Stacy Ludy is Deacon of Lo-cal Outreach. Others who work with her are: Tiffney & Tony Palmer, Todd & Jennifer Morrison, Trent Kaupp.

The Missions Team exists to lead Christ Community in its ef-fort to participate in the Great Commission in cross-cultural contexts. The Missions Team maintains close contact with our missionaries and seeks to teach and encourage every at-tender at Christ Community to be obedient to the Great Com-mission as either a go-er or sender. Keri Hany is Deacon of Missions. Other team members are: Chuck Albritton, Seth Foor, Betty Kaupp, Delmar Smith, Robin Wahls.

The Meals Team exists to coordinate all of the meals that occur as a ministry of Christ Community Church. Jenni-fer Morrison is Deacon of Meals. The team seeks to pro-mote the One Another core value by loving those inside the church and the Beautiful Feet Core Value by ministering to those outside of the church by providing meals.

The technology team exists to serve the church by maintain-ing all of our technological needs. Denny Foor is Deacon of Technology. Denny works with many people in helping with the sound system, the projection system, and the computers used in the church building.

Children’s Ministry

Finance & Stewardship

Hospitality

Church Meals

Technology

Local Outreach/Benevolence

Missions

Our deacons are (l-r): Denny Foor, Bev Nelson, Keri Hany, Jennifer Morrison, Becky Roth, Stacy Ludy, Derek Meiss.

2015 Surplus Giving DisbursedIn 2015, our Surplus Giving totalled $106,938.87. The following organizations re-ceived gifts from the 2015 Surplus Giving Plan:Lifesong for Orphans Advocates for orphans and adoption around the world. Our gift was designated to the Ukraine ministry.lifesongfororphans.orgSalem4Youth, Flanagan. A faith-based residen-tial and therapeutic boarding school for young men “at risk,” ages 12-18 years old and living close to Chicago. salem4youth.comThe Seed Company. Their goal is to provide Bible translations to people groups with no Bi-ble. Our gift was designated to the Hali people/Pakistan Bible translation. theseedcompany.orgCommunity Well, El Paso. A local outreach that shares the love of Christ while helping people find practical resources for physical needs.communitywell55.orgPioneers. An international missions organiza-tion based in Orlando, FL. Our gift was des-ignated to help a Ghanaian pastor with trans-

portation while traveling between churches in Ghana. pioneers.orgThe Ranch Fellowship, Chenoa. An Internet ministry that shares Christ with thousands each day in over 160 countries. theranch.orgMidwest Food Bank Their mission is to allevi-ate hunger and poverty by gathering and dis-tributing food donations to not-for-profits and disaster sites without cost to the recipients. midwestfoodbank.orgFaith Warriors. A discipleship ministry for in-dividuals in the military community.faithwarriorministry.comProject Mercy. A relief and development agency, working in Ethiopia, providing aid, comfort and support in the name of Jesus. projectmercy.orgFriends in Action. They facilitate and equip mission work around the world by partnering with national believers. fiaintl.org/usaThe Bible Project. They create videos, study guides, and posters to tell the story of Scrip-ture. jointhebibleproject.com

Gospel Coalition Women’s ConferenceJune 16-18-2016 in Indianapolis, IN

All women from Christ Community are in-vited to attend the Gospel Coalition Women’s Conference in June. The conference theme is “Resurrection Life in a World of Suffering,” and is based on 1 Peter.

Our church has a group discount code so that women can register individually at a lower rate. The code is CCCGRIDLEY. Enter it as you register online. The discounted rate is $159 ($59 after the Woman’s Fellowship scholarship) or $184 ($84) after April 15th.

Please contact Abby Huette after you have registered: 309-287-6188 or email abby-huette@yahoo.com.

Conference follow-up: This summer, Abby will lead a 9-week Bible study using the book, 1 Pe-ter, A Living Hope in Christ. You do not have to attend the conference to join the Bible Study.

The Hospitality Team oversees Coffee Fellowship. Ron and Marcia Mool are the coordinators.

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28 ESV

Robin Wahls and Betty Kaupp are teaching the K-1st grade Missions Sunday School class.

Coming Up!Saturday, April 9

7 am - 1 pm61st Annual

Pancake & Sausage Day

Sunday, April 245-7 pm

One Another Meal In Homes

Saturday, April 3011 am

Ladies’ Luncheon“Reflections”

July 25-29Vacation Bible School

Sunday, August 75-7 pm

One Another Meal in Homes

The Local Outreach team sponsors the Easter Egg Hunt.

Todd Morrison and Adri-an Carrion are part of the technology team.